Working in reverse
I followed up on my previous conversation with Paul Sermon at Media City and discussed the pros and con’s of live streaming. It was really good to get an outside view of the work without him actually seeing the piece. I simply told him about the content of it and my ideas about displaying the performance. However he raised the question of whether this video or live stream was meant to be a private one to one experience or a shared experience? I guess I hadn’t really thought about this and just kept thinking the more people who see it the better. Considering the controversial content of the script and my provocative attitude, is this something I want to turn into a spectacle? Should it be seen in a more private and self-reflective way? Paul spoke about how entering into an online dialogue could side track away from the work and be open to misinterpretation. On reflection I don’t want the audience to be more interested in each other’s comments rather than watching the performance.
Should the work be shown in a gallery context? This would really focus the eye on the work itself and erase distractions that might pop up on your computer screen. I had thought that I would like to show this piece at an event, although I don’t think this is right as again its turning the work into a spectacle without people investing their time into the whole piece. Considering what is the audience meant to get from seeing it is making me change my mind about the presentation of it. This video needs to be shown either on a monitor or on my laptop with headphones for one person to view at a time. I am still very interested in creating live, streamed performances, however this requires making work specifically for this medium rather than forcing this performance to fit. In my practice I tend to make work in response to a place or situation, however I have been swept away with the process of making a performance from home which is why I am struggling a bit with deciding how to show it.
